2018 Aston Martin Vantage GTE to be revealed this evening

First official footage of AMG V8-powered British racer released; it will compete in next year’s World Endurance Championship

Aston Martin will reveal its new Vantage GTE tonight at 8pm GMT, with a target for the all-new racer to compete at the sharp end of its class in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) from the off.

The British brand wrapped up the GTE Am championship with the outgoing Vantage GTE over the weekend, setting the bar high for its successor, which is due to make its WEC debut at the season opener in May 2018.

The new Vantage road car is predicted to have 500bhp, but the racer’s output may differ due to technical regulations that enforce the balancing of performance between rival models.

The Vantage GTE will go up against the likes of the Ferrari 488 GTE, Ford GT GTE and fellow new arrival, the BMW M8 GTE in the WEC, of which the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the crowning round. The next season is being hailed as a ‘super season’ due to its extended calendar that stretches from mid-2018 into early 2019, featuring two 24 Hours of Le Mans races as a result.

Aston Martin has issued a preview image for its future racing model that shows its blurry silhouette alongside the outgoing model. However, earlier spy pictures and videos offer a better insight into how it’ll look.

The Vantage road car will also eventually be made available with Aston Martin’s new turbocharged V12 engine, produced in-house and first used in the DB11, but the Vantage GTE racer will stick with the lighter V8 engine for competition.